Chapter 3
"Duke!"
A soft, breathy voice cut Duke off entirely.
Jennifer came jogging around the corner, clutching a stack of notebooks to her chest. She practically threw herself at his side, her shoulder brushing against his. "You said you’d help me with calculus after class. Where did you go?"
She held up a pink notebook, batting her eyelashes at him. "I saw your study plan goes all the way through finals, so I brought my notes too. You don’t mind I looked at your schedule, right?"
Duke froze. He shot a guilty, panicked glance my way, clearly expecting me to blow up.
I almost laughed out loud. He was actively plotting to ship me off to a trash-tier public school, planning out his entire semester with another girl. There was zero space for me in his future, but he still wanted me chained to his ego.
"Sorry to interrupt," I said, my voice flat. "I’ll leave you two to it."
I turned to walk away, but Jennifer suddenly gasped. She shrank back behind Duke, her eyes instantly welling up with tears.
"Delphine…" she whimpered, her voice trembling. "Are you mad at me? Because I’m studying with Duke?" She looked down, playing with the edge of her sweater. "I know I don’t have fancy private tutors like you do… I just want to keep up with everyone else…"
"Move," I said, stepping forward.
That single word was all it took for Duke’s lingering guilt to vanish.
"Delphine Windsor, what is wrong with you?" he snapped, his voice echoing off the lockers. "Apologize to Jen. Now."
I raised my hand, and slapped him across the face as hard as I could.
Crack.
Duke stumbled back, clutching his reddening cheek, his eyes wide with absolute shock. Jennifer let out a theatrical scream.
I looked him dead in the eye, my voice dropping to a freezing whisper. "Duke Brooks, you’re the one who owes someone an apology. Not to her. To me."
I turned on my heel and walked away. I didn't look back once.
The night before my flight out of Boston, I stood in the center of my bedroom, doing a final purge of everything Duke had ever given me.
The diamond collarbone necklace I got for my sixteenth birthday? I wore it once, and two weeks later, Jennifer was wearing the exact replica. Duke said I should have nice things too, she had bragged to her friends.
Then there was the limited-edition teddy bear. Duke had claimed he loved my signature lavender perfume on it. He took the bear home, brought the box back empty a few days later, and a week after that, I saw the exact same bear sitting in Jennifer’s open locker. Even the niche aromatherapy candles I received for my coming-of-age ceremony magically appeared in Jennifer’s Instagram stories.
I used to think I was special to him. In reality, I was just a wholesale supplier for his charity case.
At 2:00 AM, my phone buzzed. I picked it up.
"Delphine… I’m sorry," Duke’s voice came through.
For a split second, I thought he was finally owning up to his pathetic setup. I was wrong.
"Jen hurt herself," he rushed out. "She tried to cut her wrists because she thinks you hate her. I can’t leave her right now, so the transfer… I’ll have to delay it."
I rolled my eyes. A papercut for attention, probably.
"But you need to apologize to her," Duke demanded, his voice hardening. "This is all because you were so cruel to her at school. You pushed her to this." He paused, pulling out his favorite weapon: emotional blackmail. "If you just say you’re sorry, I can forget all this. I’ll come to Maple Creek to see you in a couple of weeks. Do you really want to throw away our years of friendship over your ego?"
I didn't say a single word. I ended the call, blocked the number, and tossed the phone onto the bed. Looking back out at the moonlit mountains, I finally breathed. The dead weight was gone.
A week later, I landed at Zurich Airport after a quick weekend trip to London to finalize some Windsor Capital paperwork.
I grabbed my heavy Rimowa suitcase off the carousel, but before I could lift it, a large, well-manicured hand effortlessly took the handle from my grip.
I looked up.
He was wearing a perfectly tailored charcoal suit that screamed Savile Row, his dark eyes locking onto mine with a calm, predatory confidence.
Elias Neville. Sawyer Group’s legitimate heir, Duke's older half-brother, and the shark of the Neville media empire.
A slow, devastatingly handsome smile spread across his face. "Delphine Windsor. Long time no see."
I smoothed my coat, matching his smile. "Elias Neville. It’s good to see you."
Before he could say another word, my phone started vibrating in my pocket. Another unknown US number. I answered it while Elias stood silently beside me.
Duke’s voice blasted through the speaker, frantic, breathless, and completely unhinged.
"Delphine?! Where are you? I called the Maple Creek administration office! Why hasn't anyone there heard of you? What class are you in? Delphine, answer me!"
